Lounge
How to make 2025 the best year for your career and wellbeing
Summary
It’s time to take stock, course correct and plan for a future filled with career success, as well as better mental and physical health
As the year draws to a close, the process of review and reset begins. Typically, it involves taking stock of your career, personal growth, health and finance. And then comes the annual task of setting resolutions for the new year, to become a better, happier version of oneself. According to experts, the foundation for a better life is rooted in asking yourself the right questions, to know exactly what you want.
Like, what’s that one thing you want from your job, besides, of course, the monthly salary? What’s stopping you from being completely present emotionally and mentally during family time? These are simple but complex questions.
We asked experts for tips that can help people—managers, CXOs, newbies joining the workforce or anyone looking to make 2025 a better year for themselves—self reflect and plan resolutions in a way they are mindful and, most importantly, achievable.
STAY IN DEMAND
One of the most popular new year resolutions is the desire for a professional reinvention. More so now, when upskilling and reskilling have become the need of the hour in a volatile job market.
“Deeply reflect on your career," suggests Amit Nandkeolyar, associate professor of organisational behaviour at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A), as a starting point when it comes to upskilling or reskilling . “Is this a skill that may still be in high demand in the future, or do you need to learn? Maybe you are in a sweet spot, and don’t have to worry about it. But if you are concerned, start upskilling by attending online classes, workshops and certified courses."
Also read: Do Gen Z workers need etiquette training?
Platforms like Coursera and EdX provide several flexible online courses, so do premium educational institutes like IIMs and Harvard.
Besides upgrading your skills, continue to focus on good-old network building as well. To reiterate the point, Prof. Nandkeolyar shares the example of Sriram Krishnan, the newly appointed senior White House policy advisor on artificial intelligence (AI).
On a recent episode of his podcast with his wife, The Aarthi & Sriram Show, Krishnan talked about how much he enjoys networking and before joining a job that he had secured, he used to send emails to five people saying he would love to connect with them.
KNOW YOURSELF
While knowing the right people is important to climb the career ladder, it’s also vital to keep a check on one’s mental health.
A conversation that continued throughout 2024 was the constant race to meet deadlines and work taking over personal life. Is it even possible to meet deadlines and prevent brain rot—Oxford’s word of the year that refers to mindless consumption of social media content, causing brain atrophy—while enjoying personal time?
Yes, says Sharmilee Agrawal Kapur, the founder-director of Atmantan Wellness Centre in Maharashtra. “Make an elevator pitch for yourself and be its biggest champion," Kapur says. In other words, specifically know your ambitions, growth areas and people who matter, and then become a “cheerleader" for them to see yourself thrive.
To nurture relationships, communicate, be fully present and keep away from digital distraction, suggests Bengaluru-based emotional and mental health professional Arouba Kabir.
One of the reasons people are unable to realise their resolutions is the amount of pressure they put on themselves. It’s essential to polish the self-awareness muscle and be kind to yourself, says Kabir. For instance, it’s okay if you missed the morning workout. Make time for it in the afternoon instead of chiding yourself for not sticking to a pre-planned time.
Building self-trust also helps. “Self trust means you are capable of solving problems, and you can take clear decisions by weighing pros and cons," says Kabir, explaining that if something falls apart at work, have enough trust in yourself that you’ll be able to solve the problem or, if need be, delegate and ask for support. “Trusting yourself implies if you don’t know something, you’ll take help."
Self trust and clear communication are useful while job searching or discussing promotions.
Kabir shares the example of an employee who came to her for a promotion, saying she deserved it after working for two years. While the reportee had spent considerable time, she had not taken promotion-worthy responsibilities, recalls Kabir. “Instead of feeling weighed under self-doubt or misguided by feelings of distrust, she asked me for three months with more responsibilities. After that period ended, she earned that promotion."
MIND AND BODY
A large part of 2024 included several conversations around the rising stress levels, and unhealthy sleep and eating patterns among Indian workers.
Drishti Chhabria, founder of the Mumbai gym, Orangetheory Fitness, recommends approaching physical and mental health like a management student. Make a plan using the SMART format: S stands for specific, M is for measurable, A is achievable, R for relevant, and T is time-bound. Start with something specific, measurable and achievable, like a 15-minute daily walk. Measure the distance and pace with a fitness tracker. Increase it over time and raise the speed. It can be taken to the next level by shifting to jogging or cycling.
People need to ensure that cardiovascular exercises, such as walking, jogging and cycling, comprise 50% of regular workouts, she says, adding adequate nutrition is a must.
The third area that needs special focus is sleep, something that often gets compromised because of hyper-connectivity, extreme social media consumption and work pressure.
Clock in about seven-eight hours of shut eye every day, says Kapur. One of the things that she did for herself this year is improve sleep hygiene. She eats dinner at least three hours before going to bed, keeps her phone away in a separate room, has an old-school alarm close to her bed and does gentle stretches before getting out of bed in the morning.
Also read: How to prevent brain rot
MONEY MATTERS
Now comes one of the main reasons why most professionals are working non-stop: to build wealth.
If one of top goals in 2025 is to build wealth, then Abhishek Kumar, an investment advisor and founder of the Delhi-based investment advisory service SahajMoney suggests beginning with a “clean slate." A clean slate starts with paying off high interest borrowings—be it credit cards or personal loans. The next step is to create an emergency fund to avoid bad debts. Typically, salaried professionals should put aside six months expenses in an emergency fund, while freelancers and business owners need to account for a year’s, he says.
It requires habit building over time and setting small goals—similar to incorporating physical activity for better health. A key guideline is to inflation-proof your investments.
Another option, he suggests, is recurring deposits in a bank to nurture the investment habit. “Whether you opt for mutual funds, stocks or recurring deposits depends entirely on your risk appetite. Understand yourself to create an investment portfolio that suits you," he explains, echoing the “know thyself" mantra.
“It means not investing in products that you don’t understand. These could include Bitcoins, not regulated by SEBI," says Kumar.
EQ WILL ALWAYS BE HOT
Finally, one of the things that will ensure your growth at the workplace is emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient—the ability to identify and regulate your own emotions, to understand the emotions of people in the office and beyond. Harnessing this intelligence can even help you “manage" your boss. Develop the soft skill of syncing with your manager’s goals, priorities and working style, says Prof. Nandkeolyar. “Job performance goes up when you are able to better manage your boss, because managers are also juggling many responsibilities and lack time," he explains.
A little bit of empathy—to yourself as well as the stakeholders in your career—will go a long way.
